The aim of the research is to delineate, and, in so far as possible, account for: a) population changes over time, and b) differences between those Temne residents in a rural chiefdom, Kolifa Mayoso, and a nearby town, Magburaka. The 100% census enumeration of Kolifa Mayoso I conducted in 1955 and again in 1963 will be repeated in 1975 as will the 1 in 5 block census carried out in Magburaka in 1963. This will enable me to build up a relatively rare body of data for tropical Africa which will permit the assessment of population changes over time without complete dependence upon retrospective data, as well as the delineation of any rural-urban differences. Following the census inquires, I shall select 10 - 20 familes/kin groups in the rural chiefdom and an additional 10 - 20 from Magburaka town as the basis of an intensive study centered on the followig topics: family and household size and composition, marriage and marital instability, provision for the elderly, provision for training/raising children, migration and fertility. For the two series of families/kin groups, I shall try to determine for specific instances: a) who made the decisions with respect to each of the topics of concern, and b) why they decided as they did.